Reel for handling thread or the like



June 17, 1941. w. F. KNEBUscH REEL FOR HANDLING THREAD 0R THE LIKEOriginal Filed Aug. 27, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 :M 7 1 la F/vg inn/:Nros'WALTER E KNEeuscH ATTORNEY June 17, 1941. w. F. KNEBUscH REEL FORHANDLING `THREAD 0R THE LIKE' Orgnal Filed Aug. 27, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet2 INVENTOE F. KNEBUSCH WALTER ATTORNEY atented .inne 17, 1941 REEL FORHANDLING THREAD OR LIKE Walter F. Knebusch, Rocky River, Ohio, assig'norto Industrial Rayon Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation ofDelaware Original application August 27, 1937, Serial No.

161,231. Divided and this application September 12, 1939, Serial No.294,456

s claims. Y (ci. 242-53) This invention relates to improvements in reelsfor handling strip material such as thread or the l like (hereinafterreferred to as thread).

More particularly, the invention relates to an improved form ofthread-advancing reel which, during rotation of the reel, operates towind thread thereon, advance it lengthwise thereof in a plurality ofspaced, generally helical turns, and deliver it to a suitable take-updevice. Among other things, the invention contemplates a reel made up oftwo reel members each of which embodies a plurality of spaced,longitudinally extending bars interleaved with those oi the other reelmember, said bars having associated therewith means for preventingendwise discharge of the thread. To that end, each of the reelmembers isprovided with radially extending projections which in the assembled reeloperate as thread-guiding elements.

The present application is a division of application Serial No. 161,231,which is itself a division of Patent No. 2,091,285.

Theinvention will be described in connection with a thread-advancingreel of the type shown,

described and claimed in copending application Serial No. 652,089, filedJanuary 16, 1933, now Patent No. 2,210,914. Said reel comprises a shaftabout which are mounted two reel members, each reel member comprising aspider supporting a rigidly mounted set of longitudinally extendingbars. The bars of each reel member lie between the bars of the other, sothat the two reel members occupy substantially the same space. One reelmember rotates concentrically with the shaft, while the other is mountedso as to rotate about an axis displaced laterallyfrom the axis of theshaft. The axis of rotation of the laterally displaced reel member isslightly inclined to the axis of rotation of the shaft.

The action of such a reel is to move the bars of the respective reelmembers radially outward with respect to the adjacent bars of the otherreel member by virtue of the lateral displacementof the axesthereof, asa result of which each reel member alternately carries the turns ofthread wound upon the reel. Due to the inclined relation of the axes ofrotation of the two reel members, as each set of bars retracts withrespect to the other set, the threadis 'transmitted from each set to theother at a point somewhat forward of the previous position of thethread. As a result, the thread is -continuously but temporarily storedupon the reel in substantially y helical turns, being meanwhile advancedsubstantially axially thereof.

A reel of this type embodying the principles of the invention isillustrated in the accompanying drawings. In such drawings, Figure 1represents a vertical section taken longitudinally through the reel andits housing. Figure 2 represents a transverse section on a reduced scalethrough the reel and its housing as seen from line 2--2 of Figure 1.Figure 3 is a perspective of a reel member embodying the invention.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2 of lthe drawings, housing i containsreel 5,a reagentdistrbutor 6 and transfer mechanism 1l. The reagent distributort discharges a processing liquid on the reel, thus effecting one of theprocessing steps to be performed in the preparation of the finishedthread. When the thread end reaches the discharge end of the reel, it issevered by transfer mechanism i, which is equipped with blades forcutting'the thread in order to provide a free leading end. The free endis then detached, with or Without assistance from the transfermechanism, and brought to the next succeeding reel, which is preferablysituated below reel 5. rlf'he thread then commences to wind along thesucceeding reel, being subjected thereon to another treatment.

As previously mentioned, the substantially axial advance of the threadalong the reel is caused by the offset and inclined relation of the axesof rotation of the two reel members of which the reel is comprised. Asmay be seen in Figures 1 and 2, reel members 9 and I0 consist of bars iland I2 which are rigidly mounted on spiders I3 and I5,respectively. 1nthe illustrated embodiment of the invention, the several bars andcorresponding supporting spider of each reel member are integral. Ashoulder 41 is provided on each bar at the end thereof at which the baris supported by the spider. The bars and spiders can be composed ofanymaterial-which has the required strength but which is neithercorroded by the reagents used for treating the thread nor chemicallydecomposed to an extent such as to contaminate the thread.

The reel as a whole is supported on, and rotates about, a shaft I5 whichmay carry similar reels, such as 5a, in horizontal alignment in positionto subject the thread carried thereon to the same treatment. Reel memberil] is mounted upon shaft I5 so as to rotate concentrically therewith.Spider I4, which constitutes part of reel member IIJ, is mounted on abushing Il by means of cement I8, the bushing I1 being locked to theshaft I5 by means of a set screw I9 tting into a groove 2| in the shaft.A sealing composition 22 is filled in over the set screw I9 in order toprotect the metal against corrosion by the processing medium.

The other reel member 9 is not mounted directly on shaft I but rotatesthereabout on a .sleeve 23 which-is non-rotatably held by a bakelite nut2t engaged with the sleeve. This nut is in turn held against rotation bya plate 25 attached to housing 4. The reel member 9 is cemented by alayer of cement 26 to bearing 2l, the bearing rotating on the xed sleeve23. It will be observed that the sleeve 23 is eccentrically positionedaround the shaft I5, thus laterally offsetting the axis of rotation ofreel member 9 with respect to the axis of rotation of reel member Ill.'I'he axis of the outer surface of the sleeve 23 is also inclined to theaxis of shaft I5. Thus reel member 9 rotates about an axis offset fromand inclined to the axis of rotation of reel member I D.

Shaft I5 is driven through stub shaft 28, to which it is connected bytongue and groove means and-a pin 29. Stub shaft 28, in turn, is driventhrough a coupling 3I which may be attached to another reel shaft ordirectly to a gear transmission from a power source. The stub shaft 28and the coupling 3| are mounted on the end cover 32 of housing 4 bymeans of bolts 33 and associated parts.

Access to metal shaft I5 of corrosive liquids used in treating thethread is prevented by shaft housing 34, which is of bakelite or otherchemically resistant material, packing 35, and stulng boxes 36. T'heplane of contact between hubs 31 and 3B of the reel members 9 and I0,respectively, present a problem in this respect, since due to theeccentricity between the two reel members the axes of the hubs do notcoincide. To prevent access of corrosive liquids to the metal parts ofthe structure and to retain oil between the moving surfaces for purposesof lubrication, a flexible boot 39 is provided which snugly engages eachhub and maintains a tight seal despite relative movement of the parts.

In the operation of the reel, shaft I5 is driven through the shaft 28and associated coupling 3l and, in turn, drives reel members I0 of asmany reels as may be mounted on the same shaft. Each reel member I0,being pinned to shaft I5, rotates therewith and drives the cooperatingreel member 9 by engagement of the oppositely 4directed bars of therespective members as shown in Figure 2 of the drawings. 'I'he two reelmembers rotate together and thread led onto the surface of the reelcommences to advance along the reel in a large number of closely spacedsubstantially helical turns. As the thread advances, it is showered withthe desired treating liquid from the distributor 6, the liquid beingcollected in trough 40, constituted by the bottom part of housing 4, andreturned, if desired, to the manifold 4I with which distributor 6 isconnected.

When the thread reaches the end of the reel,

it is severed by transfer device 'I to provide a new leading end.Transfer device l embodies a shroud 43 rotatable independently of thereel and a plurality of cutting blades 44 which operate to sever thethread when the leading turns reach the plane of member 43. The newlyformed free end then runs tangentially oft' the reel, `being aided bywindage of the member 43. In the normal operation of the transferdevice, the newly formed leading end drops by gravity, with or withoutassistance, to the next lower reel, where it commences to advancethereover in the same fashion.

Occasionally, however, faulty operation of a transfer device results inan overrunning of the thread beyond the discharge end of the reel. lnthe illustrated embodiment of the invention, overrunning of the threadbeyond either end of the reel; for example, overrunning of the portionof the thread cut off by the transfer device l, is prevented byshoulders 4l formed on the bars of each reel member at the ends thereofconnected to the corresponding supporting spider. 'I'he projection ofthese shoulders beyond the thread-bearing periphery of the reel at eachend thereof effectively prevents the thread from passing over the reelat either end thereof, thereby making it impossible for the thread towind itself about the shaft or parts of the reel other than thethread-bearing portion thereof. This is an advantage of considerablepractical importance, particularly in view of the difficulty entailed inremoving the thread in such circumstances.

Obviously, projecting means of various other types may be provided atthe ends of the bar members or at the end of the reel for the purpose ofpreventing the overrunning of the thread.

Various modifications may be made in the illustrated embodiment withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention; indeed, the invention may beapplied to reels of other types and reels employed for other useswithout departing from the spiritof the present invention. In theappended claims, the term thread is intended to include, besides threadper se, all types of strip material capable of being advanced on a reelof the type embraced by the present invention. It is intended that thepatent shall cover, by suitable expression in the appended claims,whatever features of patentable novelty reside in the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A reel upon which thread may be continuously but temporarily storedin spaced, substantially helical turns which are advanced axially of thereel comprising two rotatable reel members of substantially circularcross section each of which is made up of a plurality of bars extendinglongitudinally from and rigidly fixed to a supporting member, the barsof each reel member being disposed alternately to the bars of the otherreel member, and, associated with said reel, means extending radiallyfrom one of said supporting members for preventing the axial advance ofthe thread beyond said radially extending means, the axial advance ofthe thread over the thread-bearing periphery of the reel being continueduntil the thread comes into contact with said radially extending means.

2. A reel upon which thread may be continuously but temporarily storedin spaced, substantially helical turns which are advanced axially of thereel comprising a rst supporting -spider to which is rigidly xed a firstset of longitudinally extending bars; a second supporting spider towhich is rigidly fixed a second set of longitudinally extending bars,the bars of said second set being disposed alternately to the bars ofsaid first set; means for rotating said spiders, including the barsassociated therewith, about noncoincident axes; and means associatedwith at least one of said supporting spiders extending beyond theperiphery of one of said reel members adjacent the supported portionthereof to prevent axial advance of the thread beyond said extendingmeans, the axial advance of the thread aaiaiee over the thread-bearingperiphery of the reel being continued until the thread comes intocontact with said extending means.

3. A reel upon which thread may be continu'- ousiy but temporarilystored in spaced, substantially helical turns which are advanced axiallyof the reel comprising a ilrst rigid reel member of substantiallycircular cross section `made up of a plurality of longitudinallyextending bars lsupported at one end of the reel member; a. second rigidreel member of substantially circular cross section made up of aplurality of longitudinally extending bars supported from one end of thereel member, said second vreel memberv being adapted to rotate about anaxis inclined to the corresponding axis of rotation o! said ilrst reelmember; means by which the bars o! said reei members are supported; andvcircumferen` 5 \tially disposed shoulders associated with the barsWALTER F. KNEBUSCH.

